John Wayles
Encyclopedia
John Wayles was a planter
, slave trader and lawyer in the Virginia Colony. He is historically best known as the father-in-law of Thomas Jefferson
, third President of the United States
.
Wayles is accepted has having taken his mixed-race slave Betty Hemings
as a concubine after being widowed the third time; he had six children with her, of whom the youngest was Sally Hemings
. The children were three-quarters European in ancestry and half-siblings to Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
. After Wayles' death, Martha and Thomas Jefferson inherited the Hemings family and more than 100 other slaves as part of his estate.
in 1715, Wayles emigrated as a young man to the English
colony
of Virginia, likely during the 1730s.
elite. He also worked as a lawyer and did some slave trading. His plantation, called "The Forest", was located in Charles City County, one of the first four shires in the colony and located in the Tidewater
region along the James River
.
. The girl was the daughter of an English sea captain John Hemings. Hemings family tradition tells that John Hemings tried to buy Susannah and their daughter Betty from Wayles; but he refused to sell them.
Martha Eppes Wayles gave birth to fraternal twins on 23 December 1746, but the girl was stillborn and the boy lived only a few hours. About two years later, on 31 October 1748, Martha Wayles gave birth to her only surviving child, also named Martha
. The mother died less than a week later on 5 November 1748, at the age of 27. In those years, women had a high rate of mortality related to childbirth.
Secondly, Wayles married Tabitha Cocke, also of the planter class. They had several children:
Wayles' second wife died sometime between August 1756 and 1759.
On 26 January 1760, Wayles married his third wife, Elizabeth Lomax Skelton (widow of Reuben Skelton, older brother of his daughter's first husband). They had no children. She died on 10 February 1761.
s. Elizabeth, also called Betty, was mixed race and at the time already had four children. She was about 26 years old.
Together, Wayles and Betty Hemings had six mixed-race children, what was often called "a shadow family":
As their mother was a slave, the children were all born into slavery under the principle of partus sequitur ventrum
, which had been part of Virginia law since 1662. They were three-quarters European in ancestry and half-siblings to Wayles' daughter Martha
. She married Thomas Jefferson
in 1772. Wayles was not known to acknowledge his children by Betty, nor did he free her or them in his will. He died in debt and it took Jefferson years as co-executor to clear the estate.
. They had two daughters who survived to adulthood, but only one lived past age 25.
Upon his death at age 58 in 1773, John Wayles left substantial property, including slaves, but the estate was encumbered with debt. Martha and her husband Jefferson inherited all eleven members of the Hemings
family as well as more than 100 other slaves. Jefferson and other co-executors of the Wayles estate worked for years to clear it of debt.
Planter
Planter may refer to:*A flower pot or box for plants**Jardinière, one such type of pot*A person or object engaged in sowing seeds**Planter , implement towed behind a tractor, used for sowing crops through a field*A coloniser...
, slave trader and lawyer in the Virginia Colony. He is historically best known as the father-in-law of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, third President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Wayles is accepted has having taken his mixed-race slave Betty Hemings
Betty Hemings
Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings was an American enslaved woman of mixed race, who in 1761 became the concubine of the planter John Wayles of Virginia. He had become a widower for the third time. He had six children with her over a 12-year period...
as a concubine after being widowed the third time; he had six children with her, of whom the youngest was Sally Hemings
Sally Hemings
Sarah "Sally" Hemings was a mixed-race slave owned by President Thomas Jefferson through inheritance from his wife. She was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson by their father John Wayles...
. The children were three-quarters European in ancestry and half-siblings to Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles was the wife of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States. It was her second marriage, as her first husband had died young...
. After Wayles' death, Martha and Thomas Jefferson inherited the Hemings family and more than 100 other slaves as part of his estate.
Early life and education
Born in Lancaster, EnglandLancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
in 1715, Wayles emigrated as a young man to the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of Virginia, likely during the 1730s.
Career
In Virginia, Wayles became part of the planterPlanter
Planter may refer to:*A flower pot or box for plants**Jardinière, one such type of pot*A person or object engaged in sowing seeds**Planter , implement towed behind a tractor, used for sowing crops through a field*A coloniser...
elite. He also worked as a lawyer and did some slave trading. His plantation, called "The Forest", was located in Charles City County, one of the first four shires in the colony and located in the Tidewater
Tidewater region of Virginia
The Tidewater region of Virginia is the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia formally known as Hampton Roads. The term tidewater may be correctly applied to all portions of any area, including Virginia, where the water level is affected by the tides...
region along the James River
James River
The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...
.
Marriage and family
He married Martha Eppes (b. at Bermuda Hundred on 10 April 1721) on 3 May 1746. As a wedding settlement, her parents gave the new couple an African slave known as Susannah and her young mixed-race daughter Elizabeth or Betty HemingsBetty Hemings
Elizabeth "Betty" Hemings was an American enslaved woman of mixed race, who in 1761 became the concubine of the planter John Wayles of Virginia. He had become a widower for the third time. He had six children with her over a 12-year period...
. The girl was the daughter of an English sea captain John Hemings. Hemings family tradition tells that John Hemings tried to buy Susannah and their daughter Betty from Wayles; but he refused to sell them.
Martha Eppes Wayles gave birth to fraternal twins on 23 December 1746, but the girl was stillborn and the boy lived only a few hours. About two years later, on 31 October 1748, Martha Wayles gave birth to her only surviving child, also named Martha
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles was the wife of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States. It was her second marriage, as her first husband had died young...
. The mother died less than a week later on 5 November 1748, at the age of 27. In those years, women had a high rate of mortality related to childbirth.
Secondly, Wayles married Tabitha Cocke, also of the planter class. They had several children:
- Sarah, did not survive to adulthood.
- Elizabeth, born 24 February 1752; she married an Eppes.
- Tabitha, born 16 November 1753; and
- Anne, born 26 August 1756.
Wayles' second wife died sometime between August 1756 and 1759.
On 26 January 1760, Wayles married his third wife, Elizabeth Lomax Skelton (widow of Reuben Skelton, older brother of his daughter's first husband). They had no children. She died on 10 February 1761.
Elizabeth Hemings and children
Several sources attest that after the death of his third wife, the widower Wayles took his slave Elizabeth Hemings as his concubine, a practice relatively common among planterPlanter
Planter may refer to:*A flower pot or box for plants**Jardinière, one such type of pot*A person or object engaged in sowing seeds**Planter , implement towed behind a tractor, used for sowing crops through a field*A coloniser...
s. Elizabeth, also called Betty, was mixed race and at the time already had four children. She was about 26 years old.
Together, Wayles and Betty Hemings had six mixed-race children, what was often called "a shadow family":
- Robert,
- JamesJames HemingsJames Hemings was an American mixed-race slave owned and freed by Thomas Jefferson. He was an older brother of Sally Hemings and is said to have been a half-sibling of Jefferson's wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson because their father was John Wayles...
, - Peter,
- Critta,
- Thenia, and
- Sally HemingsSally HemingsSarah "Sally" Hemings was a mixed-race slave owned by President Thomas Jefferson through inheritance from his wife. She was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson by their father John Wayles...
.
As their mother was a slave, the children were all born into slavery under the principle of partus sequitur ventrum
Partus sequitur ventrum
Partus sequitur ventrem, often abbreviated to partus, in the British North American colonies and later in the United States, was a legal doctrine which the English colonists incorporated in legislation related to definitions of slavery. It was derived from the Roman civil law; it held that the...
, which had been part of Virginia law since 1662. They were three-quarters European in ancestry and half-siblings to Wayles' daughter Martha
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, born Martha Wayles was the wife of Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States. It was her second marriage, as her first husband had died young...
. She married Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
in 1772. Wayles was not known to acknowledge his children by Betty, nor did he free her or them in his will. He died in debt and it took Jefferson years as co-executor to clear the estate.
Legacy
His daughter Martha Wayles first married Bathurst Skelton, younger brother of Reuben Skelton. He died young. A few years later, Martha married Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. They had two daughters who survived to adulthood, but only one lived past age 25.
Upon his death at age 58 in 1773, John Wayles left substantial property, including slaves, but the estate was encumbered with debt. Martha and her husband Jefferson inherited all eleven members of the Hemings
Hemings
Hemings is a surname, and may refer to:* Elizabeth Hemings* Sally Hemings* Mary Hemings* John Hemings* Madison Hemings* Harriet Hemings* Eston Hemings...
family as well as more than 100 other slaves. Jefferson and other co-executors of the Wayles estate worked for years to clear it of debt.
Further reading
- Gordon-Reed, Annette, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American FamilyThe Hemingses of Monticello: An American FamilyThe Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family is a 2008 book by American historian Annette Gordon-Reed. It recounts the history of four generations of the African-American Hemings family, from their African and Virginia origins until the 1826 death of Thomas Jefferson, their master, Sally...
(2008), New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
External links
- "Getting Word; African Americans at Monticello", Plantation & Slavery, Monticello
- Genealogy.com - The Wayles Family; First Generation